SCKLM 2017: Of Passion, Loss and Redemption

Intro: I'm still alive, just not running...

I've not been blogging since last November - did anybody notice my absence? So I've been sitting on the sidelines in 2017, not having participated in any races. The main rain for my lack of motivation was due to burnout, more a mental burnout than a physical one. Looking back, I registered for and ran at least a race per month for the whole 2016. The pressure I gave myself was too much, attempting to fit running events around work/life and before I realised it I found myself fallen over to the other side, that is to say, a Burnout. I felt a lack of desire to get out the door to run long after the festivities had ended. Furthermore, staleness was creeping into my running routine. A creature of habit, I would normally run on a specific day of the week at the same place, more or less at the same time. But by the end of January this year, I had not been running for two weeks and did not miss it. And it made me wonder "how did I get from being passionate about running, of having completed FM (which is like arriving at a summit of racing mountain) in the SCKLM 2016 (read report here) to feeling totally uninspired to run?

I did some soul-searching and realised that running made me happy in the past and I was still passionate about it. I can remember with remarkable clarity the times when I experienced the running highs, the exhilaration from the freedom with which I ran after a long, stressful day and the clarity of mind which comes after a run. Those were the rewards I got from my running journey. So I decided to change my running program in order to make running fun and enjoyable again. For example, I would spend more time to observe the people around me in the park where I go for my morning runs. I look at their faces and imagine how they're feeling while carrying out their activity. I count the number of trees I pass, I listen to my breathing and sometimes, I listen to a podcast episode or simple shake up my playlist on my phone.

Redemption runner?

I had a horrible run in my first Full Marathon in SCKLM last year. What I learned from the experience is that despite all the training that goes into preparation for it, things can still go pear shaped in a race. In my case, the unrelenting cramps in my calves and the broken toe nail due to ill-fitting shoes derailed my race midway in the course and I had to crawl my way to the finish, which wasn't pleasant. Blogging about my experience and connecting with other runners helped me through it greatly. However, there was a part of me that felt I had to right the wrongs and redeem myself after the poor performance in the race. So when the opportunity arose, I signed up for SCKLM 2017. The 9th edition of this popular running event was to be held on 21 May; the promise of redemption came early this year and I signed up for my second Full Marathon.

Running for a Cause

Losing my aunt in April this year due to her long battle with diabetes gave me another reason to run in this long distance race. My aunt was a fighter through and through. Her determination to fight the disease and to not give up inspired me deeply. Her son and my cousin, Mike is a seasoned marathoner; we both agreed to dedicate this upcoming run in my aunt's memory. Mike also agreed to pace me which was reassuring as he has around 30 FM titles under his belt.

Training 

With a sound understanding of marathon training from last year, I knew what needed to be done to prepare for the race: build up long runs and weekly mileage, do interval runs and some tempo runs in between, strength training and tapering. But unfortunately, my training fell on the sidelines due to work and evening classes (I enrolled in a Mandarin course). At 8 weeks to race day, I finally got my act together and did my weekly long runs every Sunday. Even though I ran short of the distance planned due to the scorching heat (for the record I'm not an early riser); the fact was I did the LSD every week for 8 weeks. To get inspiration and motivation, I joined group activities organised by the KLCC Runners Group. The ones which I benefited a lot from were the "Sunday morning LSD" led by Sam Seow and "Hill Training with Suresh Kumar".  For strength training, I joined the FGT classes run by the Fitness First Run Club.

Sam Leow leading the Sunday morning LSD at Desa Park City

Hill training led by Suresh Kumar at Tamn Tasik Perdana

FF Run Club's Freestyle Group Training at 1MK rooftop

Race Pack Collection

The Standard Chartered KL Marathon Race Entry Pack Collection (REPC) this year was held at Hall 6 of the KLCC Convention Centre. In addition to the REPC, the Prudential Healthy Life Expo made its debut and it did not disappoint with fun-filled and exciting activities throughout the three days of the expo from 18-20 May. There were more booths noted this year than there were in the previous years that I attended.

REPC was hassle-free

The race pack collection on Friday was smooth, thanks to the good planning on the part of the organiser. Runners were asked to email their planned collection day and time so that the organiser could advise participants on the peak and non-peak time for collection. I couldn't be more excited when I found my name on the honours list or what runners call the 'wall of fame'. The names of all registered participants of the FM of SCKLM2017 formed its logo and it's strategically located outside the convention hall for all visitors and non-visitors to the expo to see.

It's written on the wall that I will be running in the FM this year

Race Day

I took a Grabtaxi to KL Sentral  and got on the 2:20 a.m. train to Masjid Jamek on the Kelana Jaya line.  Understandably, I struggled to get out of bed at 1:40 a.m on race day and a demon voice in my head asked why I was doing this. The thought of going back to bed was tempting but give in to temptation I did not! The spectacle of enthusiastic runners in gear of various colour combination, patterns and design got me to come out of my doldrums.

On arrival at the Race Village in Dataran Merdeka, I proceeded to Dataran Zero to check in my bag.This year, all runners were required to empty the contents of their bag into a clear plastic bag. The plastic bag together with all of my belongings were sealed before me by a friendly man in uniform. This new procedure was highlighted in the race guide as part of the organiser's efforts to tighten security measures.

The starting pens were well posted and I was able to locate my designated pen - Pen 3 -  with ease. I also noted that runners were on time getting into their respective pens, thanks to the volunteers who ushered runners into their pens and not forgetting the good service in the LRT and MRT. Mike arrived shortly after me. He met me outside Pen 3 as we had agreed and we swiftly made our way to the front of Pen 3. After a quick warm up... the race was flagged off sharp at 4:00 a.m! Ladies and gentlemen, let the 9th SCKLM begin!

Mike and I in Pen 3

Mike and I started out strong and steady with a pace of around 6:50/km. We both felt the unusually warm weather from the start on Jalan Raja Laut. We sweated by the buckets just minutes into our slow run. At around 2k, the GPS on my Garmin went haywire as it recorded a pace of 2:09/km. I also noticed that the GPS went out of sync with the kilometer markers by kilometer One. When my Garmin beeped at 3km, I had in fact logged 2km according to the marker. This unsettled me slightly but as soon as I readjusted my focus on the kilometer markers instead of my GPS watch, I was back on track.

Basically the route this year is similar to last year's so I had the benefit of knowledge of the route this time. It makes a big difference to know the route of a race even if you're running in that for the first time. Mike and I ran steadily all the way till 20 km where we entered the Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (DUKE). I looked and felt good and was glad that I had 20 km in the bank already. I remember feeling the niggles on the DUKE last year so whatever I was doing now, was working. I was careful not to change my pace or posture. Mike and I talked about his late mother - my aunt - and how because of the hospital visits, he was unable to put in as much training as he would have liked. In a strange way, in periods when we were both quiet, we felt her presence and it was an extraordinary feeling.

I took two cups of water or Lucozade Sport at every hydration station as I was aware of the amount of fluids I was losing from my body through profuse sweating. The stations were consistent - appearing every 2 km as shown on the map, and managed by friendly volunteers, some of whom not only handed the runners their drink but also cheered the them on. Also worth mentioning are the live performances of stripped-back acoustic music by artists who generously volunteered their time to liven up the atmosphere.

After collecting my wristband at the 30km checkpoint, I started to feel a niggle in my right ankle. I tried not to focus on it and soldiered on, dropping my pace slightly. But on entering Jalan Langgak Tunku in Bukit Tunku where hills would thrill or kill runners, things went downhill for me. I felt fatigue in both my legs especially the quads, followed by cramps - in the quads and calves. Memories of last year's nightmare started to haunt me. I quickly took out the bottle of CrampFix I was carrying with me and took two caps of the liquid in an attempt to relieve the cramps.

Pain is only temporary

I also saw a group of friendly supporters at a bus stop in Bukit Tunku. They had set up a stall there and invited runners to come and visit it. As I was battling with cramps, I limped over to the stall and was warmly greeted by a lady with shoulder length hair and a warm smile. She asked for my order. They had a variety of beverages on offer. Without hesitation, I asked for coconut water. She poured the coconut water into a cup for me to consume. I was heartened by the group's generosity and support of the huge number of runners. It definitely gave me a much needed boost at that moment. After thanking the team, I began my long trudge uphill along the very challenging Jalan Langgak Tunku. You may have heard from runner in KL that Bukit Tunku is only for the brave. As this point a good number of runners had passed me by.

Try as I might to push myself a little more, my legs would not allow it. Thereupon, I was worried that I might have hit the wall. The cramps were getting more severe. I decided to take another break and sat on a curb. My answer to my aching legs was in the form of Counterpain (yes, I learned from last year's experience and brought along a small tube of the ointment).  I rubbed the balm assiduously onto my quads in the hope that it would not only soothe my legs but also my emotional wound as the old wounds were starting to open up. Just then, a runner approached me and asked if I was experiencing cramps. He offered me some pills to take to relieve the cramps. He was friendly and appeared to know what he was talking about. So I grabbed the pills from him, swallowed two on the spot and took sips of water from his bottle. It was a nice gesture on his part (his name is Alex) and I felt recharged by kindness and possibly by the synergistic effects of Counterpain, CrampFix and the pills.

At Jalan Sultan Ismail around kilometer 36, the 5:30 pacers passed me by. They were carrying orange balloons and had music blaring off of them. I had earlier greeted Azhar (one of the pacers) and remarked that it would be great to finish the race with his team. So I kept alternating between trudging and walking... but not stopping. Later, the cramps were too much to bear and I took time out after passing Parliament of Malaysia. I had no answers for the cramps so I approached a member of St John's and asked if she would help me with my cramps. As she was still attending to another troubled runner, I sat down and tried to remove my shoes. That movement trigger excruciating pain in my quads and calves and I let out a cry. The young lady along with her male colleague rushed to my rescue, removed my shoes and gave my calves a good stretch. At this point (around 9:15 am), it started to drizzle and no sooner was I able to get up than my body was awash with rain. 

Wefie with Azhar before the race

Walking along Jalan Parlimen, a fellow young runner beside me asked if I was worried about the weather turning for the worse and the possibility of race being cancelled due to severe weather conditions. I answered that I would be disappointed beyond words if I wasn't allowed to finish the race as we were already in kilometer 39. The youngster soon took off saying that he was aiming for a 5:30 finish. I couldn't help but be inspired by his determination and then something in me clicked. I no longer felt the cramps in my legs and I was ready to run again. I picked up the pace gradually and found myself running at a comfortable pace, as fast as my legs would carry me, literally...  I was careful not to ruin the last 3km of the run..

I engaged in self-talk in the final leg and my mantra was "Finish strong" and "I can do this". Soon, I reached the Honda gantry indicating that there was only 500m to go. At 200m to go, I could see in the distance the cheering crowds at the finish line and my spirit soared. But I was also in pain both physically and mentally, but refusing to give up and recalling a quote earlier in the course "pain is only temporary, pride is for a lifetime" I dug deep, pushed hard and crossed the finish line.. with tears of pain, of joy, and relief that I managed to finish my second full marathon strong.

Pacers and their colourful balloons

Selfie before flag off

At my designated race pen

Running again at kilometer 39

Thank you for the coconut water

Porta Porties were in adequate supply

Facts and figures of SCKLM 2017

36,000          number of participants at the SCKLM 2017
9th                edition of the race
2:18:43         time posted by Cosmas Matolo Muteti from Kenya who won the FM Men’s Open
2:36:14         time posted by Elizabeth Chepkanan from Kenya who won the FM Women's Open
USD17,500  Prize money for the winner of FM Men's and Women's Open categories
7 hours         cut-off time for the FM category
8,000            number of runners signed up for FM category this year
1,700            number of running tourists
75                 nationalities participated in the run

My stats: 

Elevation gain: 524m   Max elevation: 111m

Result:
Gun time: 5:40:30
Net time: 5:39:08
Ranking: 974 out of 2108
Overall: 2909 out of 6663

Asics Penang Bridge International Marathon 2016

The Asics Penang Bridge International Marathon 2016 was the last race I ran for this year. As PBIM is one of my favourite events, I registered and secured a place back in April. With the experience of running 21km on both the Penang Bridge and the Second Bridge in the past two years, I signed up for the 10km this year as most of my running teammates preferred the distance (blog post of PBIM 2015) Looking back at my running journey thus far this year, I noticed that the individual 10km distance is missing in logs (the only other time I ran a 10k was in the Asics Relay the Night.)

One may be tempted to ask, "Is 10k a downgrade from the FM, HM and 12k?"

Not. At. All.

In fact, I like doing the 10km distance for these reasons:

-  it holds a special place in my heart as my first race back in  January 2014 was the 10km in the Marina Run, Singapore

- training for the 10k is less demanding compared to the HM or FM (let's face it - there are times when one doesn't train as hard due to circumstances or lack of motivation)

- I can run faster!!!

- I would not need to wake up at ungodly hours for the race (FM flag off at 1:30 a.m.)

- I can recover quicker after the race

- it is more social and less competitive for the average runner

Driving to Penang from Kuala Lumpur on the evening before the race was a nightmare. There was standstill traffic along the Tapah-Gopeng stretch for two hours which I found out was due to a major accident. The weather didn't help either as there were intermittent showers along the way.  Setting off my journey at 6 pm, the journey took eight hours to complete. The Penang Bridge was closed at midnight (which I was aware of but did not think I would not arrive in Penang by then) so I used the Second Bridge, namely the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge.

On arriving on the island city, I was unable to get on the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway as it was closed for the race. Soon I learned that I was haplessly going around in circles as Waze kept re-directing me to use the closed roads, not offering any alternate routes. Exhausted and losing the will to carry on, I pulled over at the Lim Chong Eu expressway and asked the traffic police officer to direct me to the city centre. The man in uniform was polite and he gave me clear instructions to get to the hotel. Surprisingly it was as simple as following the signs to Pusat Bandaraya (City Centre).

I arrived at the hotel at 3:10 a.m only to find out that the hotel car park was full to the brim. I maneuvered my car around the choc-a-bloc with vehicles parked in front of, behind and around the designated lots. It was a total chaos. I drove out of the parking lot disappointed, but was greeted by an attendant who asked if I was a guest at the hotel. I answered in the affirmative and he said he would take care of my parking problem if I just left my car key with him. I duly complied.  

I woke up at 4:10 a.m fuzzy headed and made my way to Komtar by foot. I was lucky that there was a bus already waiting when I arrived so swiftly boarded the bus and off I went with the other enthusiastic runners to get to the race village. 

I don't remember much about the what happened before the race flag off due to the brain fog I was experiencing. Breakfast came in the form of a banana and a bun, though I can't tell you what filling was is it. I faintly recall a friend saying hi to me and I greeted him in return. He later reported that I came across to him and his teammates as cold and somewhat standoffish. Well, all I hope this post explains why I gave a less-than-enthusiastic peer recognition to his friends. Runners aren't immune to bad days.

The announcer praised the weather. The rain earlier had subsided and the cool weather set the perfect conditions for 14,000 runners gathered at the race corral in the 10k event. At 6:30 a.m. the race began.

Race:

I ran a comfortable pace for most of the course. The course was mostly flat except for the incline on the pathway to get on the bridge. Around 7 a.m., I was greeted with a beautiful sunrise view from the bridge and I slowed down to take it in. Many runners around me whipped out their camera phones to catch selfies. At the half-way point U-turn, I started to feel a strain in my legs and was worried with the knowledge that I would struggle to maintain my pace of 5:30. Nonetheless, I pushed myself further in spite of niggles in my legs. At a water stations later, I received a much needed break and a boost when a young male volunteer when collecting my paper cup into the bin he was carrying said "Thank you, 加 油！" That was the fuel I needed to get back on track to the finish line.

This shot does not do justice to the beautiful scenery I witnessed

Not long after I approached the Queensbay Mall area and I was excited in the knowledge that the finish line was within reach. Spurred on by the sight of many happy finishers around me, I pushed myself for one last time to counter my gradually decreasing pace. I ran, putting one foot in front of the other. And ran... It was a long, hard slog.. and finally, I crossed the finish line in under one hour. I was both happy and relieved that I completed the race.

Cheng Yee back in action

Team Amos, Danny, CY and CK

A hard fought victory for this year's PBIM

Official results:
Clock time: 1:02:11
Nett time: 59:17
5km point: 32:50
Category Rank: 181/3975

Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM) 2015

This post took a little longer than usual as I had to wait until the official results of my run in the 2015 PBIM Half Marathon Men Open category were published. It was a long time coming (believe me, if you were an enthusiastic runner like me, anything more than two days is a long wait for the results) but finally, the results were available on the website http://www.penangmarathon.gov.my/portal/ today. 

The 31st edition of the PBIM was held on 22 Nov 2015

As I waited for the results to come out, it gave me time to think about what to report on this race, which I participated for the first time last year. Since this will be my final race for 2015, I reflected on my running journey for the year. So instead of the usual report, I thought it would be timely to contemplate how wonderful it is that I am able to run in race events. Or just being able to run. It may be a simple activity and most of us take it for granted. Having the ability to run is indeed a blessing and I am humbled when I see people living with disabilities run in races. 

Running has brought immeasurable joy into my life. For some, perhaps running is just running. But I beg to differ. Running is not merely putting one foot in front of the other; it's not just about clocking those miles - it's much more than that. The training, the goals, the commitment involved in achieving those goals, the challenges and rewards from the effort put in, the bond of friendship in the running community, the support of family and friends (both runners and non-runners alike) whether online or offline, and the sense of accomplishment when I achieve new milestones (in life and in running), the strength to not give up when the going gets tough - all of these have made me become a better version of myself since I took up running in past two years or more.

You can imagine my excitement for PBIM this year as I had my family join me in the race. My folks came along too! Although they didn't register to run, they were enthusiastic and happily offered to tag along to enjoy a short holiday in George Town, Penang. There were six of us in our team of runners. For those who have been following my blog, you would already know that my sister and bro-in-law have joined me in past events; this time there were additional three members in the family who joined me for the first time. How incredible is that! I registered for the HM, everyone else in the 10k. We registered back in June to enjoy the early bird rates, set up a group chat to motivate one another and planned our activities for the weekend in Penang in conjunction with the race. Duties were distributed fairly and they included registration of runners, collection of race packs, securing accommodation and coming up with an itinerary in Penang (which basically centered around tasty local food) and printing of the e-certs.

As for the race, the event overall was well organized this year and credit must be given to the organizer. This year the organizer engaged the services of Rapid Penang and it's a wise move on their part (last year the main complaints were on transportation to the starting point). My event was scheduled to start at 3 a.m. I arrived at the Komtar bus terminal just after 2 a.m. only to see the Rapid Penang shuttle bus departing from the station. Fortunately, the next bus arrived shortly after and once filled up, it was ready to go to the race village in the outdoor parking area of Queensbay Mall. I didn't mind paying the RM1 fare for the quality shuttle service. 

Participants in bright pink and green vests gathered at the corral

However, the distance from the drop-off point to the starting line was longer than I expected. I think it easily took a 20-minute walk on average pace - I did hear some runners whinge about the additional distance they were made to cover even before the race started. After bag check-in and a quick stretch, I quickly joined the crowd gathered behind the starting line and before I could drink my Gu, the gun went off sharp at 3 a.m. for the Half Marathon Men's flag-off. And off the strong crowd in excess of 5000 runners went.

I would just give a brief review on the race. This year the race was held on the old bridge, as it has always been since 1985, with the exception of last year when it was held on the newly opened second Penang bridge, namely the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge. It was my first time running on the old bridge - it needs to be pointed out that I only ran about five kilometers on the bridge as the rest of the course was off the bridge. I can only guess the organizers planned it this way so that the runners of the HM do not run into the other runners in the FM category. The course at times was challenging with slopes, and inclined planes and slanted surfaces. It was definitely different from the second bridge which was flat throughout.

The were a total of six hydration stations which was quite generous of the organizer; however, the first one came only at 6.5 km. I wished there was one earlier, say at 5 km as most people would need a sip of water after that distance. Fortunately, the weather was mostly cloudy in the wee hours of the morning on 22 November, with a temperature of 23.9 degree Celsius so I hadn't felt overly thirsty or experienced any overheating of my body when I stopped at the first water station.

It was dark throughout the race and there were stretches where it was pitch dark. I nearly ran into people in some stretches. I regretted not bringing along my headlamp (perhaps this item should be listed as an essential in the race guide). It's handy to have a torch/headlamp when you're running as early as 1 a.m. (full marathon) and 3 a.m. (half-marathon). 

Kelvin and I posing for the camera 

At kilometer 16, my primary school friend Kelvin crossed path with me. He recognised me from behind which was indeed remarkable and shouted my name. What a pleasant surprise it was when I turned around to see Kelvin my friend whom I have to seen in ages! After a quick exchange of greetings, we ran side by side for the next few kilometers. I lost time at one of the hydration stations, but we got back together before the finish line and crossed the finish line in near synchronicity. It was an extraordinary experience! On reflection -  I have not seen Kelvin for over 20 years - we have recently been communicating on Facebook talking about race events and the like but never got the chance to meet until this day. I may never have met Kelvin if it wasn't for running. And more remarkable was the fact that we both traveled to Penang to run in this race but did not make concrete plans to meet..  But here we were in Penang on an early Sunday morning, after crossing the finish line together, catching up with each other.

More reflection:

Thanks to running and racing, I have been on an amazing journey that took me on wonderful trips in Malaysia and overseas. I have met people, every day runners who have done extraordinary things in their running journey and become friends with people who inspire be to continue running. Personally, 2015 turned out to be a fantastic year in my running, with new memories, moments and experiences to cherish. Along the way, I achieved new PR's which is deeply satisfying.

As for the results, I couldn't be happier with my performance this year in the PBIM.

My 2nd appearance in the PBIM half marathon Men Open

My sister and her hubby getting better and stronger in the 10k

My brother with his wife and father-in-law finished the race happy

Strength and beauty in number

PBIM 2014 first HM and PBIM 2015 HM

Official Result for PBIM 2015:                                 Official results PBIM 2014:
Gun time: 2:06:40                                                      Gun time: 2:08:42
Nett time: 2:05:11                                                      Nett time: 2:05:59
Rank: 189/5289                                                          Rank: 613/10654